When Spider-Boy first swung into action in the End of the Spider-Verse event, it was not a one-off appearance for the young spiderling as Dan Slott continued telling his story piece-by-piece in his subsequent books. Bailey Briggs is the latest Spider-themed hero on the block who has a hard time convincing people that he is a real hero since he is barely ten years of age. But more pressing is the fact that people have forgotten about his existence, which includes his mentor Spider-Man, with whom he tagged along as a sidekick. As Bailey re-educates Peter on his rogues’ gallery, Spider-Boy #1 spins a web through past and present to turn a tragic origin story into a positive debut issue.
Published by Marvel Comics with stories from Dan Slott, artwork from Paco Medina, Ty Templeton, Erick Arciniega, and Dee Cunniffe, and letters from VC’s Joe Caramagna, Spider-Boy #1 goes on two crimefighting adventures in the same book. The first one gives readers a look into Spider-Man and Spider-Boy’s chemistry as they swing into battle together, just like the latter remembers things to be. When their fight with Gutterball makes Bailey a target of the media, Peter tries to help the poor boy but ends up bringing more trouble for him, unearthing Bailey’s tragic past. Meanwhile, a backup story awaits the reader at the tail end of the book, featuring the one and only Squirrel Girl as Spider-Boy teams up with her to tackle one of his outlandish foes, Balloon Man.
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The name “Solo Run” may be misleading for the first chapter since the overarching theme it deals with is friendship and camaraderie. The opening act sees Spider-Boy have the time of his life. He is fighting beside his hero and against an annoying villain whom he hurts more with his puns than his punches – it is all reminiscent of how Spider-Man was in his youth or is now at his best days. While the duo successfully takes down Gutterball, Bailey’s hero identity hits a setback. Dan Slott weaves in elements from Spider-Boy’s recent appearances, especially the public reception of his bare-fanged monstrous look. The stigma attached to Bailey’s appearance not only distresses the young hero but also his mentor, who possibly sees a reflection of himself in the boy. It is proved when Peter goes out of his way to the offices of Daily Bugle to confront the current editor, Robbie Robertson, about their treatment of Spider-Boy. Although the emotionality in the tale does not hamper its pace, it certainly establishes the few core people in Bailey’s life who look out for him through thick and thin. Yet, the story does not skimp on the nostalgia of the past as Bailey works hard to achieve the stability he had in the past.
The book has a lot more depth to offer than wallowing in on the morose bits. Slott finally goes deep into Spider-Boy’s origin story, which is equally heart-wrenching and fascinating. Abducted by Madame Monstrosity from his mom at a young age, Bailey underwent inhumane experimentation via DNA splicing with other animals, which in his case was a spider. It was during this time that he formed a close friendship with a boy his age named Eli, who was stuck in the same predicament as him. As the plot thickens, giving this new character an animalistic transformation, words like “freak,” “weirdo,” and “monster” get thrown around by passersby, which enrages Spider-Boy. Bailey has every right to be angry about it, having gone through the same ordeal himself. The story validates Bailey’s pain and shows the selfless side of his personality when he can take the criticism but doesn’t let his friend face the same fate, mirroring Spider-Man’s actions earlier in the issue. This side of the book is packed heavily with action. But the thing that stands out the most is Spider-Boy’s enemies. Unlike Spider-Man’s villains, they are more eccentric than malicious. Madame Monstrosity is, however, an exception, who, like her name, is a monster in a human’s clothing.
Paco Medina’s characters are almost always in motion. Whether it is Spider-Man or Spider-Boy, they are always swinging across the panels, twisting and turning their bodies in ways that would put contortionists to shame. It is all angles and perspectives in Medina’s artwork. He uses low-angle shots of the bad guys to make them look menacing and towering, intimidating everyone in the vicinity. Like the characters, the paneling is dynamic as well, adding not only a sense of urgency behind the movements but also interjecting with contexts and backstories while mid-fight. It is only during these situations that the backgrounds disappear and are replaced with radial lines when usually the panels are teeming with details. Colorist Erick Arciniega shows off his craft in these situations and gives the background muted tones to let the red and blue of the two Spider-heroes pop out. On closer inspection, he even uses distinctly different hues of the two colors for the two of them, with Spider-Man having a tinge darker shade and Spider-Boy flaunting the flashier colors. With so much happening on the pages, both on the script and illustration side of things, the colors bind everything together without going overboard.
From the looks of it, the backup segment titled “Balloonacy” takes place during the Thanksgiving parade, which shifts the book to a more lighthearted tone without the added baggage of tragedy. However, the past plays a role, especially Spider-Boy’s, as he goes up against a balloon-themed villain he is quite wary of. The story also takes a breather from Bailey’s tumultuous crimefighting responsibilities and gives him time to relax, which he slowly gets into the groove. In classic superhero fashion, no sooner had he met Squirrel Girl than the villainous Balloon Man appeared on the scene to disrupt the parade. Slott gives Spider-Boy the reins of the plot since he has the advantage in this battle despite his tiny size. Here, Slott also does something he has been unable to do in his Spider-Man series – keep the plot simple. Even in a team-up setting, the story focuses on the hero’s struggles and the villain’s triumph with no convoluted developments or branching narratives. It’s just a good old hero vs villain fight that shows off the protagonist at his best. Continuing the trend of ridiculous rogues, Balloon Man seems a one-of-a-kind antagonist of Spider-Boy whose tricks are just as hilarious as deadly.
The artwork of this story looks softer, primarily due to Ty Templeton’s bold contour lines that curve at the corner. While Slott also writes this portion of the book, the illustrations give it a different vibe. The floats and their balloons may be at fault here, but it is also the happy, bubbly faces everywhere around the panels that leave a charm behind. From Squirrel Girl and her squirrel friends to Balloon Man’s balloon animals, the cutesy style hides the insidious plans the latter has for the city and its people. Even colorist Dee Cunniffe joins in on the fun and uses a bright and colorful palette that perfectly mimics Templeton’s style and makes it even better. The different colors of the balloons and confetti, as they fly towards the readers when they flip the pages, say everything about the artwork and its open arms invitation to join Spider-Boy’s adventure. Meanwhile, letterer Joe Caramagna’s work deserves mention for making it breezy to read through the dialogue and the various perspectives of the characters as they stumble and navigate through the world. More than the sound effects here and there, it is the sudden exclamations and exasperations that add to the energy of the book.
Spider-Boy #1’s two back-to-back features make it a multifaceted tale, showing different sides to the titular character. Bailey is young, but he has an encyclopedic knowledge of his enemies, as every hero should have, which he applies meticulously while keeping his head always in the game. It is rare to see a comic book character who has lost so much, including his family and friends, move forward through all the adversity. It makes him a true successor to the Spider-Man mantle if the day ever comes. But for now, he is trying to go from day to day, enjoy his life in F.E.A.S.T., and out with Peter fighting crime despite the huge target on his back. Spider-Boy #1 is the freshest take on an old formula to come out of the House of Ideas in recent history. Bailey’s future looks bright from here on out, only if the creators can shower all the necessary love to make this character grow.
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